Ways of Jewish living - EdexcelPrayer

When Jews pray, they believe they are making contact with God.

There are two types of prayer: formal and informal. Both of these types of prayer may take place at home or in the synagogue.

Formal prayers are set prayers found in the Siddur. Informal prayers may be spontaneously made up by an individual to reflect their thoughts and feelings at the time.

Private prayer in the home

Whether or not Jews are able to attend daily services in the synagogue, praying at home every day is important to many Jewish people. Some Jews may even believe that it is not necessary to attend the synagogue daily and choose to pray at home instead. These private prayers take many forms:

• Jews often pray as soon as they wake up by using water to purify themselves for the day ahead. They thank God for waking them. Many Jews aim for recitation of a morning prayer called the Modeh Ani to be the first thing they do upon waking. Many Jews believe that sleep is almost like death because the soul goes to God, who chooses whether or not to return it to the body. Waking in the morning means that God has chosen to return the soul to the body, so the Modeh Ani thanks God for the gift of another day.
• Jews often fix a mezuzah to the doorpost at the entrance to their home. They touch the mezuzah as a reminder of the presence of God.
• Before each meal, many Jews bless God and thank him for the food.
• Before going to sleep, Jews will often say the Shema.

Praying three times a day

The Tenakh reminds Jews to pray three times a day:

This ensures that God is always in the minds of Jewish people throughout the day. These set prayers are known as:

• Shacharit – morning prayer
• Minchah – afternoon prayer
• Arvit – evening prayer

These prayers are formal prayers found in the Siddur. They include the Shema, the Amidah and readings from the Torah.

The importance of different types of prayer for Jews

Both formal set prayers and informal private prayer are important to Jews.